Automatic windmill control



y 31, 1932. c; J. POTTS 1 861,021

' AUTOMATIC WINDMILL CONTROL Filed Sept. 6, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.1.

lllll lllll| c n lun fllml lNVENTbR.

Clarice P ufi's ATTORNEYS.

May 31, 1932. c. J. POTTS 1,861,027

AUTOMATIC WINDMILL CONTROL Filed Sept. 6, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ClariceJ. F'clfi's ATTORNEYS.

' I INVENTOR. 7 1

Patented Ma 31, 1932 UNITED" STATES GLARIGE J. PO'I'TS, OF WI NIIE LI),KANSAS AUTOMATIC WINIDMILL CONTROL Application filed September 6, 1930.Serial No. 480,254.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic controls preferablyadaptable for use in automatically throwing into and out of gear of awindwheel or the like, but which may be employed in a variety ofmechanisms 'for the accomplishment of work.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an automaticwindmill control which is relativelysimple and will efiiciently and"automatically throw into or out-of gear the windwheel depending upon thequantity of water within a reservoir or tank. f

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be 'apparentduringthe course of the following detailed description. Inthe accompanyingdrawings, forming a part ofthis specification, and wherein similarreference characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views,

Figure 1 is a side view. of the improved control, showing itsapplication to,a windmill and itsoperative assemblage with a liquidlevel controlled float.

Figures'2 and 3 are sectional views taken through the improved automaticcontrol showing inoperative and operative positions of a trip lever.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the improved control. i

V Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, showingmore particularly the mounting and details of certain ratchets ordetents of the control. c

Figure 6 is a sile elevation of the lower part of the control oppositeto the side illustrated in Figure 1. I I

In'the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only apreferred embodiment of the invention, the letter A may generallydesignate the improved control, which may be operatively associated witha windmill B, being mounted upon the derrick structure C thereof andoperatively connected with the pump rod D. p The automatic control isoperatively connected with a float F operative upon liquid within a tankG wherein the water is replenished incident to operation of the windmill'B; the automatic control A being connected by means of a fiexible ropeor cable H with some part of the windmill, such as a clutch orothermechanism which will render the windmill inoperative for the pumping ofthe rod D when the water in the tank G has reached a predeterminedlevel.

The automatic control mechanism A preferablyconsists of a substantiallyU-shaped frame 10, which comprises upstanding legs 11 and 12 connectedat their lower ends by a cross piece 13 suitably apertured for receivingbolts 14 by means of which the frame may be connected to a cross bar orplatform 15 of the derrick C or any other frame structure on which thecontrol is mounted. The upper ends of the legs or standards 11 and 12rotatably support a shaft 16 upon which a druml? is mounted and keyedthereto at 18.- The druml? has one end of the flexible cable 'Hconnected therewith for winding thereon in the manner of a Windlass, asshown at 20 in Figure 4. i

The shaft 16 has also keyed thereon at one end of the drum 17 ,betweenan end of the latter and the leg 12 a ratchet wheel 25, keyed at 26 inplace on said shaft.

Rockably mounted upon the shaft 16 is a lever 30, which is bifurcated atthe end pivoted on the shaftf16; providing spaced parallel lengths 31and 32 which straddle and receive the ratchet wheel therebetween, asshown in Figure 4, and which are apertured for the free rotatablereception of the shaft 16 therein. The lever at its free end is providedwith a slot 85 which is connected by means of a pin 36 to the pump orpolish rod D of the windmill. At the opposite side of the shaft 16 fromthe polish rod connection, the lever 30 has the portions 31 and 32connected by means of a spacing block 40, shown in Figure 5, riveted orbolted in place at 41. This block 40 has a detent 42 pivoted at 43 inplace upon the block; the block having a rigid extension 44, betweenwhich, and the lever 42, is disposed a spring 45 under compression andnormally urging the detent or pawl 42 against the teeth of the ratchetwheel 25.

This detent 42 is provided with lateral extensions .47 at the free endthereof, against one of which the trip lever 50, to be subsequentlydescribed, may be engaged forthrowing the pawl out of engagement wlththe ratchet wheel 25.

A second detent operates upon the ratchet wheel a support being welded,brazed, or otherwise secured to the cross bar 13 of the frame 10 nearthe leg 12; the same being for the same purpose as the block 40, andbeing disposed at the opposite side of the frame 10 from the handle ofthe lever 30. It extends upwardly divergent with respect to the leg 12and at its upper end pivotally supports an upwardly extending pawl or.detent 57 which has a socket pivot at 58 in the support 55. The support55has a reduced extension 60 for supporting a compressed spiral spring61 which engages against the detent 57 and forces the latter intoengagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 25. The detent 57 isprovided with lateral extensions 65 at the free end thereof, forengagement by the trip lever 50. The tri lever 50 is pivoted at upon theinside 0 the frame leg 12, and extends upwardly, having a semi-circulararcuated part 71 the inner edge of which is offset so as to miss theshaft 16, the outer edge 72 of which is adapted to abut against theadjacent extensions 47 and 65 of the pawls or detents 42 and 57respectively, for throwing them out of engagement with the ratchet Wheel25 at a time when the lever 50 is pulled to permit unwinding of thecable H from the drum 17 As applied to the windmill, the frame 10 is ofcourse rigidly connected to the derrick C, and as above mentioned, thelever 30 is pivotally connected with the pump rod D, so that uponreciprocation of the latter the lever 30 will be oscillated about theshaft 16 as a pivot. The trip lever 50, should the tank G haveinsufficient water in it, will be held .in such position as to throw outboth pawls or detents 42 and 57, holding them inoperative with respectto the ratchet wheel 25, so that the effect of reciprocation of the pumprod D in oscillating the lever 30 is merely to cause it to idle in arocking relation upon the shaft 16. As the tank G fills to the desiredheight or level of water, the float F arises, and through the bell cranklever 85 and connecting rod 86, the trip lever 50 will be moved to animperative position, out of engagement with the extensions 47 and 65. Ofcourse, under such circumstances the springs will actuate the detents 42and 57, throwing them into engagement with the teeth of the ratchetwheel 25. Under these circumstances it is quite apparent that the lowerdetent 57 serves to restrain rotation of the drum 17 in one direction,so as to permit unwinding of the cable H therefrom, and reciprocation ofthe pump rod D causes an oscillation of the lever 30, and incident toengagement of the pawl 42 against the teeth of the ratchet wheel 25rotates the latter at each downstroke of the pump rod D, for causing awinding of the cable H on the drum 17. The winding of the cable H on thedrum 17 will of course perform the desired operation of throwing thewindmill out of operative connection with the pump rod D. This may beaccomplished in a variety of ways, such as by the operation of a clutch,or the feathering of the windwheel with respect to the direction ofwind. i

It is quite apparent that the automatic control device A may be employedin connection with other mechanisms than windmills. For instance, it maybe used in connection with belt or wire stretchers, or load binders orthe like.

Various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be madeto the form of invention herein shown and described, without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for automatically throwing a windwheel out of the wind,the combination of a supporting frame, a drum rotatable on thesupporting frame, a ratchet wheel rotatable with the drum, anoscillating lever freely mounted on a pivot axis aligning with the axesof the drum and ratchet wheel provided with a polish rod engaging endprojecting to one side of said axes and a detent carrying end projectingto the other side of said axes, a detent pivoted on said lever at saiddetent carrying end for causing rotation of the ratchet wheel in onedirection upon oscillative movement of the lever in one direction, areleasable detent normally engaging said ratchet wheel for preventingrotation of the drum upon movement of the first mentioned detent overthe periphery of the ratchet wheel, and trip means for releasing both ofsaid detents with respect to said ratchet wheel.

2. In automatic control mechanism of class described the combination ofa U-shaped frame including upstanding legs and a cross portionconnecting the lower ends of said legs, a shaft rotatably bearing in theupper ends of said legs, a drum keyed on the shaft, 7

a ratchet wheel keyed on the shaft, an oscillating lever including abifurcated end straddling said ratchet wheel and freely pivoted foroscillation on said shaft and movable in an oscillative relationrelative to the drum and ratchet wheel, the bifurcated end of the leverextending to the opposite side of the ratchet'wheel from the handle ofthe lever, a spring urged pawl mounted in the bifurcated end of saidlever at the opposite side from the handle of the lever and urgednormally against said ratchet wheel in operative engagement therewith,an extension connected with the cross portion of said frame below theratchet wheel, a second spring urged pawl carried by said extension andnormally urged into operative engagement against said ratchet wheel,each of said spring urged pawls having a laterally extending armprojecting to the opposite side of the ratchet wheel with respect tosaid drum, and a trip lever pivoted on a leg of said frameadj acent saidratchet wheel below the shaft mounted on the frame and extendingupwardly and being arcuately ofiset about said shaft and having a convexedge in position to engage against the lateral extensions of the springurged pawls for moving said spring urged pawls out of operativeengagement with the ratchet Wheel substantially simultaneously uponmovement of the trip lever in a direction away from said shaft.

CLARICE J. POTTS.

